6 Month Mark

Well my loving family and friends. I am happy to report that I am now a proud survivor of typhoid fever. Ha. Also this past week I completed 6 months in the mission. I feel like these have been some of the fastest months of my life, haha. I feel like i have changed a lot in these months but I’m still the same person also. For example… 

- I can now understand and kind of speak Spanish.

- The Book of Mormon is now a page-turner in my mind.

-"Forgetting to pray" doesn’t really happen now days

- I’m kind of a Pepsi drinker (kind of). 

- Washing my clothes in the shower is normal, ha.

Well just about everyone wants to know a little more about my comp sooo yeah. She is great, she is kind of tomboy-ish, and she is sooo funny, I asked her what is her favorite music is and she told me “black music”. She cracks me up. Before her mission she was studying music and her emphasis was piano so she isn’t tone deaf. She can like actually sing, ha. When she sings it is like pleasing to my ears. This week we decided to start running. We made a plan to run to the chapel and back. Its like 2 miles. So we start running and I could tell my comp was kind of having a hard time but we kept going and made it to the chapel. We rested for like 3 min and then started on the way back. Then my comp was all " I feel like I might die, can we please walk". So we walked home yeah but my body loved running. We are going to start doing it like everyday. There is like this super gym next to our house and its open 24/7 but its 90 bucks a month... #por qué 

We also had zone conference this week. Gosh, zone conferences are such a party like always. Ha. I love, love, love them its like the homecoming of high school #don’thate. We learned how to teach with more power this week and we had like little practices. My comp is learning wicked fast how to teach. Its great to see her progress it makes me proud to be her trainer. Ha, after we ate American food all together. Yeah, American food its where its at sometimes. One of the Latin sisters told me that I had a good accent this week so I was pretty pumped about that. 

Things are going better in the area. We have like 3000 less active members so we have been working a lot with them. Also we started teaching these crazy Christians who were like trying to bible-bash us. Ha. It was pretty interesting. They believe that Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are all one person but by the end of the lesson they where thinking other wise. They told us to come back in 7 days to talk about it more. They are literally so funny. Also, we started teaching this single mom and after the lesson we were walking out and this teenager asks us if he can talk to us about our church. I was like can you ever?? Ha, for realz I’m excited to start teaching him also. 

Today we went and hung out with Hna. Dapper and we made a cake for another American sister who just had her gallbladder taken out. Pretty intense yeah but it was fun. Here are some random high lights of the week 

- A girl told me I looked liked the princess from Frozen. Ha. I think its the blonde hair.

- I heard my jam Glamorous in the bus.

- Hna. Christensen gave us cookies

- We contacted this really nice girl name Judith and we have a lesson this week.

- Conference is soon (Ha, I’m such a nerd now.) 

- My grandma told me I was her favorite grandchild, well #1 anyway (finally victory is mine) 

Also, here is a shout out to Luke and Julianne for being just about the cutest teenagers on the planet. Live it up your senior year but beee goood... 

xoxo 

Hermana Ruthie Babes

A Pretty Weird Week

Well what would the month of September be without a visit to the local hospital for 3 days. They drew my blood to try to find out what I had. They also ended up giving me an ultra sound and let me tell you that was kind of strange. It was just like it was in the movies, ha. That weird gel stuff they put on your belly really is sooooo cold. After all the tests and stuff they came to the conclusion that I had some kind of infection in my stomach. But my stomach wasn’t even hurting, so that was kind of weird to me. My symptoms were migraines and high fevers.

Anywhooo at that hospital we had some crazy experiences for sure. When I first got to the hospital I was really out of it and all these people kept pulling and prying at me and asking me like 3 hundred questions. They finally calmed it all down and asked me if I wanted to declare my religion. Ha, I was like yes, I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. They just stared at me like I was a wack job, ha. Then one of the nurses shouted, telling them, "They are Mormons." Ha, then everyone was like ohhhhhh yeah, ha.

Let me just tell you that hospital was a joke. They wouldn’t give my companion a pillow to sleep with because it wasn’t included in our insurance. Then they told me I needed to take a shower, ha. I was all, okay, great but then they started again with the whole the soap isn't included in your insurance. Ha, I was like this is not happening. Luckily an old lady heard this whole convo go down so she gave me some of her shampoo... miracles, ha. One of the nurses asked me if I was a nun and I told her no way. I sure hope I don’t look like a nun. If so I have some serious things that I need to change.

Finally they said I could home and sent me with some meds. That night I didn’t sleep more than ten minutes. My head was killing me and I had a fever of 102 again. The next morning Hermana Christensen called and asked how I was doing. I told her I was feeling sick and how I felt like my doctor at the hospital may have been wrong about what I had. Back-story, my doctor was like easily 86 years old and was seriously like the crazy scientist man from the nightmare before Christmas. Ha, anywho Hermana Christensen (the Mission President’s wife) was like enough playing you around we are sending you to Angels. Its like probably nicer than any hospital have ever seen. It looks like City Creek, no joke. We ended up doing splits with some other sister missionaries so that my companion could work. They put me with Hermana Dapper who is a nurse and also one of my besties in the mission. They ran my blood and I have typhoid fever. Yep, that’s right. Then they gave me a big old shot in my bum-bum and lots of other meds. Mexico and meds is like hand and hand. Ha, I’m feeling better now and Hermana Christensen made me a whole loaf of banana bread ha

Today is like the 4th of July but in Mexico. Ha, we went to Chalula and it was really pretty. Also I ran into Elder Dunford, a friend that went to Olympus (aka Lexi Gordon’s boyfriend), ha. He is going home this week so that was crazy that we ran into him. We met up with sister Dapper and Hermana Martinez and celebrated the independence of México in this cute little town. The crazy parties are going to start tonight so all the missionaries need to be in our houses at 7:30 which is not normal. Ha, we just  went to Papa Johns to eat.

Needless to say it was a pretty weird week. Also I am stoked because I love you all so much and in less than 1 year I will be with you all. Love, love, love.

xoxo

hermana hannie ruthie babes

( thypoid fever stinks.)

Hard Things

This week was hard but doing hard things is good for you, right. Ha, well I’m feeling a lot better right now.

Last Monday was my last day in Loma Florida. It was hard to say goodbye to all the people I have been with for 5 months. Hna. Valencia took us and we went and got this fancy ice cream. Then I went and said goodbye to the Aragón family. Some tears were shed and it was a bittersweet day. That’s one of the hardest things about the mission, you get close to people and then its like peace, see you in heaven. 

Tuesday we had cambios (transfers) and its literally like the reapings from the Hunger Games. Its the worst. Ha, with about one hour before the cambios my district went and got pizza and we had a little goodbye party. It was sad but it was good. Then I got my new companion and my new area. My new area is called Esmeralda. It is pretty much the big city of the mission. We are in the richest part of the whole mission and its a lot harder because the people aren’t exactly the humblest. We are in a brand new area so we are starting from scratch. Its been hard and I kind of haven’t been sleeping well but right now I’m feeling a lot calmer. I feel like I have all this responsibility to teach my new companion everything and also find a lot of new people to teach. My new companion is 21 and her name is Hermana Gonzalez. She is really nice and kind of a goof but we get along really well. She is a quick learner and we have a really nice house so that is a blessing. Also we have a toilet seat, my first place to have a toilet seat so yeah, blessed. 

The first night in the area I could hardly sleep. I was just so stressed about everything like how we didn’t know the area or the members or even have any investigators. We contacted a lot of people from the streets though and set up appointments with them so yeah, I hope we can see more progress this week. Ha. 

Fun fact, my companion told me that I have been talking in my sleep and its all in Spanish so yeahhh I’m officially dreaming in Spanish. 

Sadly we have no time today because we got lost like ten times, ha my life. 

Well love you all.

Hermana Ruthie-babes 

Surprises

Well this week was full of surprises. Ha on Wednesday I got a call from the assistants...ha they told me that I am going to be a TRAINER! I was freaking out like how can I train a brand new missionary when I feel like I am still new sometimes. I think that these next two changes are going to be full of learning opportunities. Then yesterday night they told me that I am going to be training in a new area not in Loma Florida. soo yeah I am going to be training in a new area.. ha I don’t know where yet Its a surprise but  I’ll know tomorrow. ha-ha WISH ME LUCK. Ha no the truth is I am excited for this next part of my mission. I feel blessed that the Lord trusts me to train another missionary. ha changes are tomorrow and I feel like I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight. Ha seriously I’m freaking out. Well I’m gonna be okay.. 

The rest of the week was super eventful we had intercambios (splits) and I stayed in the are with Hna Alvarez she is super great she’s from Colombia and is just a party.  We had the mission activity and it was the biggest one yet ha we had a lot of our investigators come and also Celia and he daughters (an old investigator) we taught about out purpose on the earth and then we played hard. Ha we played soccer, basketball and volleyball. people here are really so competitive. One of our investigators Jesus (yep that’s his name) came and he loved the activity he has a baptismal date for next week is a bummer because I wont get to be there because I have changes but what matters most is he is making covenants with his Heavenly Father. 

On Thursday we helped a less active women paint her house sea foam green. I was thinking of Julianne the whole time. Ha ju ju. We were wearing our missionary clothes so she gave me a hospital gown to wear. Ha I’m just grateful the only time I was in a hospital gown this month was to help paint.

On Friday we had a training meeting and it was a little intimidating but yeah I know I’m gonna be okay. Ha I am one of the only Americans that is training so yea.. a lot of other great things happened this week but sadly I have no time but I love you all sooo much. Wish me luck. I’m gonna be a momma.. ha weird.